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On Saturday, the iPad didn't hit the ground running. It apparently hit the ground traveling at warp speed. If estimates from the good people at Piper Jaffray are to be believed, Apple sold somewhere between 600,000 and 700,000 iPads yesterday. This figure, of course, takes into consider both devices purchased yesterday and those pre-ordered during the previous three weeks.

With the overwhelming initial response to the iPad proving substantially positive, some believe the iPad could reach one million units sold by the end of April. That would significantly outpace the rate at which the iPhone reached one million units sold. By comparison, it took the iPhone 74 days to reach that magnificent milestone. And while, ultimately, it could take the iPad just as long (if not longer) to do the same, most believe the positive word of mouth and incessant media coverage could put the iPad past the one million threshold within sixty days from the initial pre-order date of March 12th.

It goes without saying, however, that the bulk of those sales resulted from pre-orders. The Wall Street Journal, in fact, chronicled that while many Apple stores saw significant foot traffic and long lines, many other outlets did not witness even a remote spike in consumer interest on launch day. The WSJ, for example, reported that the atmosphere was largely "muted" at the Apple store at the Dallas Northpark Mall.

Saturday's roll out of the tablet was, of course, restricted to Wi-Fi models only. The 3G models won't be introduced to consumers until later this month. Their arrival will likely serve as the catalyst for the iPad reaching the one million units sold mark - a feat that in all probability will require the full scope of iPad models to be available, and not just in the US but also around the world.
Image via The Wall Street Journal